1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication setup method and program for uniformly setting communication parameters common to multiple applications capable of supporting a particular device shared by the applications. Other aspects of the invention relate to a startup method and program, and an application startup method and system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to print from any one of multiple applications conventionally installed on a computer, the printing setup function of each application must be used to setup printing from that application. See, for example, JP-A-2003-99220, particularly the discussion of the prior art. Even applications, which register information in a printer, such as writing printer firmware or storing graphics in the printer, must have and use a communication setup function to enable communication with the printer.
This is described more fully below using by way of example a first application for rewriting printer firmware and a second application for registering graphics in the printer as applications that are installed on the computer for registering information in a printer_A supported by both applications.
To rewrite the firmware in printer_A and then store a graphic in printer_A, the first application must first load, select the target printer (printer_A) and open a communication channel with printer_A, then rewrite the firmware. The second application then loads, selects the target printer (printer_A) and opens a communication channel with printer_A, and then stores the graphic in the printer. Each application thus cannot complete the specified process unless each application separately sets up communication with the addressed device. The user must also separately configure each application to communicate with the same device, and this is obviously tedious.